. >> wolf, it was the great political operative, william shakespeare, who once asked, what's in a name? a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. well, in political campaigns, everything's in a name, or a word. and frankly, some smell awful. if you listen to the republicans, president obama doesn't merely support government, but -- >> big government. >> old government. >> barack obama's government-centered society. >> reporter: and if you listen to the democrats, mitt romney doesn't want medicare reform, he wants -- >> a plan called voucher care! >> a voucher program in order to pay for tax cuts. voucherize medicare. >> reporter: these are no mere word games. these are word bombs. and make no mistake, the campaigns have gone nuclear. >> the words you use end up defining ideas. and that's what people take into their hearts when they go to the ballot box. >> reporter: cnn contributor john avalon is a former political speechwriter. >> it becomes a contest to see whose idea can get in the american heart and mind faster and first. >> reporter: for instance. >> we have a president who b